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Connal's Simon Community Blog

Foundation Director Connal Cochrane has written a moving blog on his experience following the Simon Community’s Street Team as they reach out to those sleeping rough in Glasgow. Read on to find out what he saw, how it affected him, and what an amazing job our partner the Simon Community does every night on the streets of our city.

“Homelessness can happen to anyone, and I mean anyone, and at this time of year, when the temperatures fall below freezing it’s really heart rending to think that so many people are sleeping out on our streets.

“I had the opportunity to spend some time with the Simon Community’s Street Outreach service this week to see at first hand some of the issues homeless people are facing and also the range of support and real compassion shown by the Simon Community’s staff.

“I meet up with Donna Finlayson and Brian Roberts at the Simon Community Hub on London Road to get a quick briefing about the Street Outreach RSVP (Rough Sleepers and Vulnerable Person’s) Service they provide before heading out to join them on their route around the city centre.

“Brian is one of the key workers providing the RSVP service and quickly showed how knowledgeable he is about homelessness and the issues people are facing. Brian makes a point of doing his best to get to know people and make sure that they know what services are available – whether that’s in an hour’s time when they can call someone to bring them a warm sleeping bag to an agreed place, or tomorrow, when support can be given to make an application for accommodation, provide advice or arrange to see a Doctor.

“The first person we met had just been told that no accommodation was available for him in the city that night. That meant that he would have to be out on the streets. A recent relationship breakdown and longer term issues from the past have made this young man isolated and homeless and Brian did his best to offer support to someone who was very clearly despondent and frustrated at his situation.

“Brian gave him the number to call for the sleeping bag service later that night and said that he would aim to follow up and support him with his attempt to gain some at least temporary accommodation via the local authority.

“After crossing the river and in an area a stone’s through from bustling Argyle Street, Brian took me to see a place where quite a number of rough sleepers will seek shelter for the night. Through a dark car park and behind the cladding of a large building was a narrow open space with a small concrete platform area stretching back into the pitch black.

“The whole place was filled with litter and filth but it is sheltered from the worst that Glasgow weather can bring and offered relative safety from the open street. It’s pretty desperate to be calling such a place “shelter” and “safety” but that was the shocking reality.

“Before continuing on the street patrol with Brian and Donna we made a flying visit to our friends at Glasgow City Mission whose staff and volunteers were getting things ready for the Evening Drop-in service which provides a hot evening meal five nights a week to people affected by homelessness. In fact, this service will be benefitting from the funds raised by the Rangers Charity Foundation’s recent Big Ibrox Sleep Out event.

“At least 80 people were expected to turn up that night for some hot food and a safe environment for a couple of hours where friendly volunteers can ensure that everyone is made to feel welcome and has the opportunity to speak to someone.

“We set out on a crisscross route from Argyle Street to Sauchiehall Street via Buchanan Street and parts of the Merchant City and met around 15 people either begging or trying to keep warm in their sleeping bags in unused shop doorways.

“There was a real range of people and issues they were facing. Brian said that many had severe mental health issues, including one who had tried to jump off a bridge over the Clyde just two weeks ago. Another had been released from a secure mental health ward and then found themselves immediately homeless and on the streets again.

“A number of the young people we met were also using heroin and begging to help feed this habit. I asked Brian if it was good to give money to people begging in the city centre and he said he tried to keep an open mind and that it was up to the individual what they decided to do.

“Clearly some people are begging to maintain their drug addiction and giving money can only help sustain this. It’s not only money you can give though - a few minutes friendly conversation may be the only time that day that someone has taken the time to speak to them. An offer to buy some food might also be very welcome, or a warm hat or pair of gloves to someone who clearly has none.

“It’s a personal choice whether to stop and engage with someone who asks for money or even someone who doesn’t ask. My experience with the Simon Community has certainly made me feel that I will stop and chat with someone more often and see if there is something I can buy to brighten their day in some way.

“Not everyone wants help. We met two men who had been sleeping rough for months. They had their spot outside a disused shop and they showed no inclination to actively seek the support that might lead to a longer term accommodation solution.

“No one could describe their situation as comfortable, but in Brian’s line of work, everyone has to be respected, everyone has different issues that lead them to being homeless and the main thing is to keep gently offering support and services, and respecting people as individuals.

“After two hours we started heading back to the Simon Community’s Hub. On the way, Brian stopped to chat to a young man and provide some clean needles to him to help keep him safe, at least in the short term, from the transfer of disease from shared/dirty needle use.

“We also met a woman who had previously been homeless and now had some secure accommodation and who was out on a freezing night like this in an area known for prostitution. Brian explained to me that there are a number of support services available for this woman and that he hoped that sometime in the future this may be a positive option and choice to help her.

“Safely back at the Hub I thanked Brian for allowing me to join him on his normal Street Outreach patrol of the city centre. I was really impressed by the Simon Community’s work and the compassion and professionalism shown by their staff.

“My insight to homelessness on a freezing cold November night in Glasgow was just a few hours long, but long enough to make me consider homelessness in a fresh light, to hopefully encourage me to stop to chat to someone much more often and to definitely feel confident that the Rangers Charity Foundation is doing something profoundly worthwhile in supporting the Simon Community.”

Find out more about our partnership this season with the Simon Community here.